Ampules for storing a drug solution in a sealed state are recently changing from ampules made of glass to those made of plastic from standpoints of strength against impact, ease of handling, and safety.
A plastic ampule normally includes a drug solution storage part for storing a drug solution, a drug solution discharge tube in communication with the drug solution storage part and extending toward one side, and a top part closing an end at the one side of the drug solution discharge tube, and is arranged so that in a fragile part formed at the drug solution discharge tube (a thin thickness part formed along a circumferential direction), a discharge opening for discharging the drug solution is formed by tearing open (for example, twisting off or cleaving) the fragile part of the drug solution discharge tube.
Also, although a plastic ampule is conventionally formed of a medically acceptable polyolefin, such as polyethylene, polypropylene, etc., use of a cyclic olefin-based (co)polymer is being examined recently from standpoints of suppressing volatilization and scattering of a drug solution stored in the plastic ampule (in particular, the volatilization and scattering of water, which is a solvent of the drug solution, and the accompanying concentrating of the drug solution) and elution of compounding ingredients, contained in the plastic, into the drug solution.
Specifically, a plastic ampule made of a resin material having a cyclic olefin-based compound as a polymer component is described in Patent Document 1, and a plastic ampule formed of a resin with which an innermost layer contains a polycyclic olefin is described in Patent Document 2.
As a method for manufacturing a plastic ampule, a so-called blow-fill-seal (BFS) method is known in which a step of molding an ampule by blow molding, a step of filling an interior of the ampule with a drug solution, and a step of sealing the ampule are executed in a continuous manner as described in Patent Document 2, and by this BFS method, a plastic ampule can be formed in an integral manner and moreover the drug solution can be stored and sealed inside the plastic ampule in a sterile manner.
Also, with such a plastic container, imparting of a light blocking property to a plastic material forming the container for storage of a drug solution that is readily decomposed or degraded by ultraviolet rays is being examined and, for example, compounding of a pigment and compounding of an ultraviolet absorber in the plastic material are being proposed.
A colored resin composition for a transfusion solution bag formed by compounding 0.02 to 3.0 weight parts of either or both of color index pigment yellow 95 and color index pigment yellow 147 in 100 weight parts of a thermoplastic resin is described in Patent Document 3.
Also, Patent Document 4 proposes that a container for oily foods be formed from a laminate with which an ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer layer, containing an ultraviolet absorber, is disposed as an intermediate layer via adhesive resin layers with respect to inner and outer layers, mainly made of a polyolefin, to prevent degradation of adhesion by light rays and improve preservation of contents.    Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 5-293159    Patent Document 2: Published International Application No. WO 2004/093775    Patent Document 3: Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 8-193149    Patent Document 4: Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 9-86570